


Teddy Bear

by Rainy_Summer



Series: love is complicated (if you allow it to be ) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: I promise, Insecurities, Just Light, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Past Cheating, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:02:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23537269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Summer/pseuds/Rainy_Summer
Summary: Mark knew that he might be being a little over dramatic. So what if Donghyuck missed his basketball game?So what if he didn't call Mark to inform him that he wouldn't be there to wave a giant collage of Mark's baby pictures to cheer him up?So what if Mark didn't hear an "I love you, Makeu-ya! ", when he made that buzzer beater three points shot that made their team win?So what?It's not supposed to be a big deal, right?Except it was. To him, it was.Because Donghyuck never missed a single event in his life, even if it was just something as small as a basketball game.Alternative summary : with more people  in their relationship, Mark couldn't help but worry if Donghyuck still loved him like he used to.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Series: love is complicated (if you allow it to be ) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720489
Comments: 55
Kudos: 316





	Teddy Bear

Mark Lee had always been enough for Donghyuck.

They had been bestfriends for as long as Mark could remember. They had been attached to each other long before they learned the meaning of the word "attached". They had been each other's companion, each other's secret keeper. They had been each other's everything.

It had not taken anybody who knew them by surprise when the two of them began dating each other. It was bound to happen, they all had said. There would be no one else who could get in between them, because the distance between them was too narrow to fit anyone.

Mark had agreed, and although romantic feelings for his boyfriend had developed later in the relationship and later than Donghyuck himself had fallen in love with Mark, he was sure, for quite some time, that Donghyuck would always be enough for him, and that he would enough for Donghyuck.

For a while, it was the truth.

They were each other's everything.

They do everything for each other.

They do everything with each other.

That had been the case for so long, until suddenly, it wasn't anymore.

Mark knew that he might be being a little over dramatic. So what if Donghyuck missed his basketball game?

So what if he didn't call Mark to inform him that he wouldn't be there to wave a giant collage of Mark's baby picture to cheer him up?

So what if Mark didn't hear an "I love you, Makeu-ya! ", when he made that buzzer beater three points shot that made their team win?

So what?

It's not supposed to be a big deal, right?

Except it was. To him, it was.

Because Donghyuck never missed a single event in his life, even if it was just something as small as a basketball game.

He shouldn't be thinking about this things, he knew it, but he couldn't help but think about it anyway.

What if Donghyuck finally realized that he wasn't worth keeping?

What if Donghyuck finally realized that he could do better?

What if he didn't love Mark anymore?

He might have been being a little over dramatic about it. It's not like Donghyuck missed a really important event like his birthday or their anniversary. It was just one basketball game. But the fact still remained that Donghyuck never ruined his promise until that time.

"Is he dead? "

"Nope. Just broken. Broken hearted."

The locker room was filled with snickering, amused laughter, and teasing, much to Mark's chagrin.

He scowled at his teammates, more particularly at Chenle, the instigator of the teasing. He swore, he had never gotten any respect from the younger, and there was only ten percent remaining on his patience, holding him back from vandalizing the Stephen Curry poster, Chenle pasted on inside his locker. One day, he would do it. One day.

"Did Donghyuck already replied to your message? " Jungwoo asked as he was drying his hair with the pink fluffy towel, that their other teammate, Lucas, had gifted him with. Mark was thankful for the older. He was thankful to have one sweet person in the team who was considerate enough not to make fun of his internal turmoil.

Mark checked his phone again before shaking his head.

Nothing.

There was no reply to his query. There was no explanation as to why Donghyuck wasn't on the bleachers when he promised Mark that he would be there.

"Maybe something came up? " Jungwoo suggested. "An emergency? "

Mark thought about it for a moment before he shook his head. If there was an emergency, then Donghyuck would surely contact him. They were far from their hometown where their family lived, so they would rely on each other in case of sudden unfortunate events.

"Maybe he forgot about you? " Jisook suggested thoughtlessly as he was taking something out of his locker, causing their other teammates to glare at him. Some rolled their eyes, and some murmured 'ignorant bastard' under their breath. "What? Don't they have, too much boyfriends? "

Mark could only sigh. It's not like he wasn't used to these comments, anyway.

Mark had two boyfriends, one of his boyfriends had another one, and the other one had another three. It was an easy concept to grasp, but unfortunately, not everybody could get it.

Not everybody could understand their relationship, and not everybody would look at them and understand that they weren't cheating. There would always be people like Jisook who would look at them and find them weird and unusual. Mark had already learned how to ignore them, as his and Donghyuck's relationship grew in numbers.

Still, it was quite nice to have people understanding them and willing to defend their relationship from people who were looking at them differently.

Chenle snorted before rolling his eyes. "At least, having many boyfriends was better than having no boyfriend at all. "

Jisook scoffed before taking his things out of the locker room and stalking out of the room, grumbling to himself incoherently.

"The hardships of not getting laid, " Ten said, causing the entire locker room to be filled with cackling.

"So, did you two fight? " Lucas decided to ask him when all of them calmed down from their fit of laughter. This caused the attention of the entire team (or at least those whom Mark was friends with) to be shifted back at him. Mark swore that his teammates were more focused and attentive to whatever answer he was going to give than on the instructions that their coach were giving them during game time.

Mark didn't remember making his boyfriend upset the previous days, because if that was the case, then Donghyuck wouldn't have agreed to go to his game. But he said yes, so it meant that they were okay.

Mark shook his head, much to his teammates disappointment.

"Wait, what's with the reaction? " Mark pouted. "Do you guys actually want us to fight? "

"Not fight as in real fight, " Lucas explained, while leaning on to Jungwoo, who was sitting with him on the bench. "Just petty fight? "

"Not too big fight. Just those small fights that every relationship have," Chenle explained.

"A small fight which could be resolved by a romantic candle light dinner at home, " Jungwoo supplied dreamily while touching his cheeks, as Lucas stared at him in admiration.

"And makeup sex, " Ten said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Don't forget the steamy makeup sex. "

"Eww, " Chenle whined, covering his ears. "My innocence. You're tarnishing my innocence. "

Mark only rolled his eyes at their antics. He couldn't relate at all.

He didn't like the idea of fighting, because fighting meant seeing Donghyuck cry, and he didn't like seeing his boyfriend crying, especially if he was the reason for it.

"Did you do anything that could possibly upset him? Think hard." Jaehyun joined their conversation for the first time, having been contented with listening and laughing along with them. There was something about Jaehyun's question that was unsettling, and Mark knew that he was hinting on something. After all, among all of his teammates, Jaehyun knew more about Mark's relationship with his boyfriends, not because Mark willingly opened up to him, but because he drunkenly called him, thinking he was Donghyuck. It was embarrassing to listen to the recordings of his drunken apologies over being a lousy boyfriend, and his pathetic begging for another chance. Granted that it was probably the reason why he was still dating Donghyuck, it was still not a good memory to go back to, and just the thought of repeating his previous mistakes made him feel nervous.

Mark racked his mind for anything that he had done that could have possibly made his boyfriend upset.

He didn't neglect him again, right?

He hadn't forgotten anything important, had he?

"Maybe you should go home, instead of stressing out over something you don't know, " Ten suggested. "For all we know, he and the rest could possibly be waiting to surprise you. "

There were an affirmative agreement from the rest of his teammates. Maybe Mark was really thinking to much about it when meeting Donghyuck would possibly be enough for him to gain a proper explanation, instead of mopping and guessing why he hadn't come to his game, and whether Mark was still important to him or not anymore. The latter was an exaggeration, Mark knew it, but still, what if?

He sighed, before picking up his bag and walking away from the locker room, where cheers and wishes of good luck to him echoed behind his back.

~☆~

The first thing that Mark noticed when he reached his and Donghyuck's shared apartment was the three pair of shoes by the door, which definitely belonged to neither him nor Donghyuck. So maybe the guys were right. Maybe the others were planning to surprise him. It wasn't his birthday, yet, and he was quite sure that there was no special occasion that day. Perhaps, they were planning to surprise him after Renjun, through his love of stars and heavenly bodies and all the living things out there (which Mark wasn't sure if they're really existing, but don't tell Renjun that), prophetically predicted that he would make that buzzer beater shot that would enable their team to win. And since they hadn't been there to witness that triumphant moment, they planned to make up for it by throwing him a five person exclusive party.

So maybe Mark was a little salty that no one from them made it to his game. Jaemin had exams, and Renjun had volunteer works he signed up for, long before Mark informed him about the game. Jeno, well, he wasn't as close to Mark as the others, so it was quite understandable that he declined politely. Besides, he and Mark had a not so beautiful history, which Mark fully took the blame for.

Donghyuck, well, he promised to be there, but he didn't come, and maybe that's what made Mark salty the most — salty, nervous, insecure and worried and all similar emotions which Mark's vocabulary couldn't come up with at this moment.

The first thing that Mark noticed when he came inside was how clean and organize the place was. Clean, as in there's nothing unusual from the neatly arranged throw pillows on the sofa, and the shiny glass table free of handprint and liquid stains.

Organized, as in, it was how it usually was, as in how Donghyuck maintained it to be, meaning there were no streamers and party balloons, and cakes with cheesy congratulatory message on it.

There was no surprise party as he initially expected, and definitely hoped for, and a part of him was blaming Ten for giving him false hope. In fact, the four people he was expecting to greet him wasn't even in sight, much to his disappointment.

They weren't playing a game inside the room, were they?

If that was the case, then Mark would be really hurt that Donghyuck forgot about his promise because he was busy playing video games.

There was no party, and there were no explanation yet as to why Donghyuck had ruined his complete attendance streak for all of Mark Lee's most important events. Maybe a single game wasn't really that important at all, but that was the best game Mark had ever played, and he was quite sure that Donghyuck would have been impressed with him, and he would forget about those times when Mark was still weak and lousy, and prone to falling, scratching, and injuring himself. Or maybe Mark didn't really want Donghyuck to forget about those times, because those times were also the instances when Donghyuck would laugh at him and mock him, but put plasters and Band-Aids to his scratches. Those were sweet times, that Mark would seldomly admit even to himself, he would treasure forever.

Which brought him back to his concern, which was to question whether Donghyuck still cared for him, the same way he did before. He knew it was petty, and he knew that he was probably over-thinking. Again, Donghyuck just missed a basketball game. But Mark was so used to having him by his side all the time, that his sudden absence was making him feel uneasy.

Had he been Jaemin, he would have no problem confronting Donghyuck about his feelings. He would whine playfully and childishly ask for attention, explanation and assurance, and no one would find it annoying. Such situation would most likely turn into a cuddle session where no tears would be shed, other than tears of laughter brought on by Jaemin's antics.

If he was Renjun, then he would probably sat Donghyuck on a chair and talk to him like how adults would. Because Renjun was an adult trapped in a small body, and Mark was pretty sure that the other was more adult than him (if he discounted Renjun's love for Moomin and the outer space life form, that is.) Renjun would have no problem confronting Donghyuck about his feelings, and he would have no problem speaking his mind. It would be serious and all, but at least, the issue would be dealt with. They would most likely cuddle afterwards, because serious talks would exhaust Donghyuck, and he would need affection to recharge.

Had he been Jeno, well, he wouldn't know what Jeno would do in this situation. He knew Jeno the least. He met him last, and they hadn't had the opportunity to get to know each other better.

But that wasn't the point. The point was, Mark was Mark, and he couldn't whine playfully or seriously confront Donghyuck about the uneasy feeling he was experiencing, just because Donghyuck didn't attend his game.

Mark didn't know how to deal with it, and he wasn't sure if he's allowed to deal with it differently, other than sucking it up and accepting that he couldn't remain to be Donghyuck's priority forever.

That kind of sucked, but there's nothing much he could do about it.

Sighing, he dropped his bag on the sofa, and shouted to no one in particular.

"I'm home! "

Oddly, there was no response. Normally, either of his two boyfriends would immediately rush out to greet him. Renjun would probably shout back to greet him, and Jeno would probably peek his head outside the door to nod at him politely.

There was no response, and Mark assumed they were all in the 2000 liner's exclusive world.

Mark didn't want to admit it, but there were times when he would feel alone despite being part of this five-way relationship. Surely, it was just one year gap in age, but Mark was certain that the younger four had made an impenetrable bond that not even Mark could enter. He didn't want to admit it, but a lot of times he felt jealous of the easy and fun relationship that the four had.

He blamed it on the common interests that the four shared, which was namely, their love for online games. Sure, Renjun wasn't as interested as the three, but he was far easier to sway into playing than Mark himself. Maybe he should change his hobby from basketball to online games, so that he could have more common interest with the others.

But then again, he sucked with those kind of games, Donghyuck said so himself (Mark sucked, Jeno and Jaemin could play professionally, Renjun was Renjun, but at least, he never shot his own teammates dead).

Sighing once again, he tiptoed towards the direction of one of the two bedrooms, the only one occupied in the apartment (Jeno used to live on the other one, but things happened. Most specifically, Mark happened, so Jeno was now peacefully living with Jaemin and Renjun).

Mark stuck his ear on the door, trying to listen to whatever it was that was happening inside.

It was oddly quiet. Mostly, playing games would involve too much noises. Haechan screaming in frustration, Jaemin desperately asking the other's to heal him, Renjun fighting with his phone because he couldn't get the right way to play, and Jeno cursing and shouting at the enemies who Mark was certain, couldn't hear him anyway. The latter was the most shocking to Mark, because as much as he initially disliked Jeno, due to personal reasons, he must admit that Jeno looked like an angel who couldn't harm a fly, and no one could ever imagine that such person would be capable of having such vocabulary. Mark remembered the the first time it had happened. He panicked, thinking that Jeno and Haechan were fighting inside the room, only for him to open the door harshly and watched as two unsuspecting pairs of eyes looked up from their phone to his face, in both surprise and confusion. Up until now, the duality still confused him. Maybe that's what made Jeno special to have three boyfriends caring for him.

Mark was not jealous. He had two. Only, those two were also Jeno's boyfriends, but still, he wasn't jealous. He wasn't supposed to be jealous.

He sighed once again, a habit he developed through out the span of one and a half year, whenever he would catch himself thinking irrationally, which he shouldn't. Relationships like theirs needed unlimited understanding, and when understanding was replaced with doubts and selfishness, everything would then begin to crumble.

Slowly, he turned the knob of the door. It wasn't lock. It was never locked, except for situations when either of them needed privacy.

The first emotion that he felt when caught a glimpse of the sight inside was awe.

Because the sight was beautiful, a beautiful picture of his now big family, sleeping together on a bed which was only designed to fit not more than two people.

He smiled.

He remembered about that sketch Jaemin had made once, a future plan when all five of them would finally be living in the same house. It was a big room, with an unusually large bed where all five of them could sleep together comfortably.

Jeno had pointed out that no one would manufacture a bed with such dimensions, to which Donghyuck argued that they could just order it customized. Renjun suggested to have one room for each as well, just in case they weren't in the mood for sharing a bed, only for Donghyuck and Jaemin to frown upon the idea, both of them being a huge cuddle monsters.

They didn't need to know, but Mark took that conversation seriously, and upon his graduation, Mark's goal was to find a good paying job and search for a big enough home for the five of them to share. One with one huge bedroom for all five of them to share and another two small bedrooms. One for Renjun, who, from time to time, needed his "me only" moment, and one for the guests, or to whoever from he four of them would temporarily need a break from the others.

He would make sure that the kitchen would be big enough for Jaemin to practice his cooking skills, either for his future career, or for his desire of being a full-time house husband. It's not like they would look down on him if he ever ended up choosing the latter. After all, he would have four husbands to take care of, along with a pair of cats that Jeno wanted to care for in the future, despite his allergy to them. (They should probably get a British Shorthair, because their cute, round, and don't shed too much. Maybe Mark should start computing for the expenses of caring for one as well, or maybe he should start checking the shelters nearby as well).

The living room needed to be big enough, and the sofa, like the bed, should be able to fit all of them at once. That's because Donghyuck liked to have a movie marathon with all of them, and he wanted all all of them to stay close. Sitting on the floor would be uncomfortable, and because Donghyuck was considerate, he would most likely volunteer to give up his seat and sat on the floor instead. So Mark wanted a huge sofa for Donghyuck's case.

Maybe another room for Mark to use as his home office would also be nice, but that was on the lowest of his priority. He could live without it, just as long as the four would feel happy and comfortable in their dream house.

But that was still far off the future. He was still in his junior year. He could only, temporarily watch the four members of his family make themselves fit together in a bed small enough to fit them.

Oddly enough, despite the fact that the only reason why Renjun wasn't falling off the bed yet, was his fingers clutching on to Jeno's shirt tightly, they all looked comfortable. They looked comfortable despite the fact that Mark was afraid that Donghyuck wouldn't be able to breath properly by being sandwiched by the latter's other boyfriends, Jeno and Jaemin. Judging by how Donghyuck was sleeping peacefully, he seemed to be contended anyway. After all, he thrived in cuddles, and all other physical forms of affection.

That's when he felt another form of emotion. An emotion he didn't want to admit, even to himself.

The bed was small but they found ways to make themselves fit inside. Try as hard as he might, Mark couldn't find a single remaining space where he could fit himself, without destroying them and making them feel uncomfortable.

He couldn't join them anymore. He could only just watch them — watch them as they crowd around Donghyuck in a bed he used to only share with Mark.

Although Jaemin might have the most number of boyfriends (it's not like the count was important to Mark,or to any of the anyway. They all love each other, some platonic, and some romantic), Mark was certain that Donghyuck was still the center of their relationship. Sure, Renjun might not be dating him, but it didn't change the fact that Renjun, along with Mark, Jeno and Jaemin, were like planet's revolving around the sun, which was obviously Donghyuck. Mark could blame the metaphor on Renjun and for all those times when Mark humored him by having a conversation about what's out there beyond what their naked eyes could see, but it wouldn't change the fact that Donghyuck was that strong force keeping all of them together, as proven by the challenges they overcame in the past.

Donghyuck was the sun, and Mark used to be the closet planet to him until a shake in the universe turned him into Pluto. Mark felt like Pluto, regardless if it's a planet, an asteroid or whatever.

It was Renjun who opened his eyes first and noticed Mark's presence, or maybe it was Mark's presence that woke him up. Renjun was a light sleeper, after all. It's not like Mark would know based on experience. He only heard from Jaemin about the latter's experience of sleeping next to the said boy. Mark would probably attribute such behaviour to Renjun's obsession to "other life forms" that enable his senses to be active even when he's asleep.

Slowly, Renjun got up on the bed, causing as slight movement that disturbed Jeno a little, causing the latter to grunt, and snuggle closer to Donghyuck, as close as Donghyuck used to cuddle with Mark.

"How was the game? " Renjun asked in hushed voice.

"Fine, " he answered.

He would have answered that their team won, but Renjun and the others wouldn't know that because they all missed the game. Even Donghyuck, who had promised Mark that he would be there.

Renjun quirked an eyebrow, his senses never failed. If there was anyone Mark could hide anything from, it was certainly not Renjun. The younger was so good at reading people. He's good at reading Mark, which was sort of weird, since they weren't dating at all.

Renjun stood up and went outside. He didn't motion for Mark to follow, but the older didn't have a choice. It's either following Renjun out, or staying. By staying, he would either stand there awkwardly, or occupy the space that Renjun had abandoned. The former wasn't appealing at all, and the latter, Mark admitted that he considered the latter, but realized that no, he couldn't. He wasn't as small as Renjun, so he wouldn't make it work. Besides, sleeping next to Jeno seemed awkward for him, and he was certain that it would be the same for Jeno.

Following Renjun seemed to be the better idea.

Renjun already made two cups of coffee by the time Mark convinced himself to follow him, presumably, one for Mark, and presumably made from the cheap instant coffee that he and Donghyuck liked to keep in stock. It was affordable and it was easier to make, good for college students whose every second was important. Sure, there was a coffeemaker that Donghyuck had won as a prize in a raffle in the supermarket, but they only ever used it whenever there were visitors, to fool them into thinking that no, they weren't THAT broke. That was before Jaemin came into the relationship. These days, they stock coffee beans reserved only for Jaemin's sensitive taste in coffee.

Ah, Jaemin. What a day it was when he came into Mark's life. Wasn't that how all of this started?

Renjun snapped his fingers at Mark, while looking at the latter wierdly. 'Are you just going to stand there, or what? ' Mark could already hear him say, which again, was weird, because he wasn't saying anything. Nevertheless, Mark occupied the seat in front of the counter to join Renjun in this impromptu coffee 'date'.

"He was running a fever, " Renjun told Mark after taking a sip from his cup. "I mean Donghyuck, " he clarified when Mark furrowed his eyebrow. "He was running a fever earlier. "

"He is sick? " he asked again, quite surprised. Mark didn't remember noticing anything weird the other night and earlier in the morning. But then again, he had slept like a log, tired from their practice, and he had left early for their game.

Oh no! He had been a neglectful boyfriend!

"Was, " Renjun replied, there was something about his stare that was telling Mark to relax and not over react, which admittedly, Mark had been doing for the past months. "He is a little better now. That's the reason why he couldn't make it to your game. I thought you should know, so that you would stop over-thinking about possibilities I myself wouldn't want to think about."

Mark pouted.

"I didn't know, " he defended himself. "He didn't tell me. "

And Donghyuck used to tell him everything, back when it was just the two of them.

"He called Jeno, " Renjun told him, and he sighed once he noticed Mark's reaction. "Human's are difficult. "

Renjun had the habit of talking as if he himself wasn't human. Ti was weird the first time, but funny later on.

"You have a game to focused on," Renjun reminded him. "He didn't want to distract you so he didn't tell you. However, I'm pretty sure that had he known you would start thinking that you're not important to him anymore because he missed one of your games, then he would probably second guess his choice. "

Mark opened his mouth to deny Renjun's accusation, only to close them again without saying anything. What's the use? This was Renjun. Mark could lie to himself but not to him.

There was a knowing look on the younger's face, which usually appeared during those time when he knew he was right, and he was proud of it. Admittedly, that smirk used to annoy Mark, and it would probably still, had he not proven Renjun's ability to know mostly everything to be great help whenever Mark was on the verge of making wrong decisions.

"Listen, " Renjun told him, while setting down his coffee on the counter.

Whenever Renjun told him to listen, Mark always found himself listening attentively, like an obedient younger brother. Again it was weird, because Mark was older that him by a year. Still, Renjun's ability to interpret and understand things correctly made his maturity level far greater than Mark. So yes, in some situations, Mark would gladly, and shamelessly call Renjun hyung.

"It's been a year and a half since 'we' started this. I know that those one and a half year wouldn't compare to the ten—"

"Eleven, " Mark corrected.

"Fine, eleven, " Renjun said, rolling his eyes. "Eleven years of just you having Donghyuck and him having you. I know the change isn't easy to get used to. I mean, I'm still not used to opening the bathroom and seeing Jeno doing his thing, and Jeno was still not used to closing the door. But that's not what I want to tell you. "

"What I do want to tell you, is that I know that you're used to Donghyuck depending on you for everything. But that was then. "

Mark pouted again. The last thing that he needed to hear was the fact that Donghyuck didn't need him as much as he used to before.

"I didn't mean for it to sound harsh." Renjun defended himself. "What I'm trying to say is, Jaemin is here. Jeno is here. I am here. Back then, you could only rely on yourselves, but now you have us. Listen, he didn't call you because he assumed you were busy, and because there were other options, he came to us instead. It's not like anyone of us were ousting you from your post. We're just sharing the burden. "

"Donghyuck's not a burden, " Mark quickly argued.

"My bad, " Renjun raised his hand. "Wrong choice of word. Foreigner, remember? But anyway, what I want to tell you is that by asking for our help instead, Donghyuck wasn't removing your right to take care of him. He just have more people to care for him now. You have more people to care for you as well. We all have more people to care for us. Isn't that supposed to be a good thing? "

The perks of having more people in the relationship — there would be more people to come for help.

Generally, having more people to depend on was an enticing idea, but not for people who's afraid of losing his purpose to another person.

Mark was afraid of losing his purpose to Donghyuck, and by virtue, losing him as well.

Don't get him wrong. He loved Jaemin as well, and he would certainly not say that he love one of his boyfriends more than the other. He never quantified love, and there was no used comparing how much he loved the two of them.

But Mark had almost lost Donghyuck once, and he could still remember the feeling. Remembering was enough. Experiencing it once again wasn't something he would want to go through with.

"You're still scared that he would leave you, right? "

Mark nodded, despite the fact that he didn't need to, in order for Renjun to understand.

"We were all quite unsure what we were doing then. We're bound to make mistakes. But we're already over it by now. "

Mark wasn't. Because if he was, then he would not feel that threatened, especially about Jeno's addition.

"I had hurt Donghyuck then. Even Jaemin, " he said begrudgingly, only to be surprised by another voice interrupting their conversation.

"What is it about hurting me? "

Mark felt a soft kiss being placed on his cheeks, before his boyfriend walked around the counter to steal Renjun's coffee, only to grimace and put back the content to the cup from his mouth.

"Gross, " Renjun grimaced. "You should have made your own cup of you don't like mine. Now I wouldn't be able to drink it. "

"Why not? " Jaemin asked, opening cabinets to seek his beloved coffee beans. "It's not like we haven't exchanged spit through kissing before. "

"That's different, " Renjun argued.

"It's not. " Jaemin stubbornly argued, and Renjun just rolled his eyes in defeat. Because Renjun, as smart as he was, would never win an argument with Jaemin. The catch? He was always losing on purpose.

Jaemin turned to Mark after turning the kitchen inside out, and failing to find what he had been looking for.

Mark shrugged at him. "Sorry. " They might have forgotten to stock up on "Jaemin only" coffee.

Jaemin pouted before climbing up to sit on the counter and picking up Renjun's discarded coffee once again.

"Gross, " Renjun commented once again.

"So what? " Jaemin asked, a catch phrase that almost everyone of them, most especially Donghyuck, developed copying. "It's my own spit anyway. "

Jaemin then turned to Mark after taking a sip from the cup, much to Renjun's disgust. "So what are you two talking about? "

Mark and Renjun exchanged a meaningful glance, and although Jaemin might have been slow at times, he wasn't dumb to not catch up.

"Are you talking about it again? Why? Is there a problem again? "

Mark immediately shook his head. The last thing that he wanted to happen was to witness Jaemin wallow in self blame again, for something that wasn't even his fault. Mark turned to Renjun, the latter looking at him as well. There were only two things that Mark was aware, Renjun was afraid of. One were ghosts, and the other one was seeing Jaemin crying. Renjun was looking at Mark for support, but admittedly, Mark was also pretty much useless during this times.

Renjun rolled his eyes. You're no help, he mouthed to Mark.

"No, we're not, and no, there's no problem. I do, however have a problem about you being gross. "

Renjun stole the cup away from Jaemin's hand and poured the content on the sink, despite the latter's protest.

"I'll buy you a real one, " Renjun baited the younger, who immediately brightened up at the mention of expensive coffee, immediately forgetting his concerns. "Now let's go, before I change my mind. "

Jaemin was off the counter within a second, and after giving Mark another kiss on his cheeks, he was already copying Renjun by wearing his shoes as well.

"Oh, Mark, " Jaemin turned back to him, just as half of his body was already out the door. "You might want to be there when Donghyuck wakes up. You know, he's been calling you a lot in his sleep. Even with the three of us there he's still asking for you. "

~☆~

The problem with Mark being alone and having no one to talk to was him having to resort to talking to himself instead.

Technically, he wasn't alone. But both Donghyuck and Jeno were sleeping peacefully as Mark stared borderline creepily at their cuddled form.

The problem with Mark talking to himself was him creating metaphors using whatever things he could lay his eyes on, and about whatever he was mostly concerned about at the moment. At that time, Mark wast mostly thinking about him and Donghyuck, and Donghyuck's relationship with the other's as they evolved in the span of one and a half years.

He couldn't help but compare Jaemin, Renjun and Jeno to the things he could see inside the bedroom, based on how Mark could see what kind of relationship they shared with Donghyuck.

Jaemin was Donghyuck's blanket, a source of warmth and protection. If someone would tell Mark in the past that his two boyfriends would end up dating each other as well, then Mark wouldn't have believed it. Especially not during the time when Donghyuck was crying because of Jaemin's existence in their relationship, while Jaemin was crying over ruining something that was so beautiful.

But that was then, a very dark past that no one wanted to re-live again.

Jaemin was now Donghyuck's blanket, quite literally, because the former never shied away from showing affection by draping himself over his boyfriend (or boyfriends. It's just that among his four boyfriends, it was Donghyuck who was most reciprocative to physical affection).

He was the blanket, because blankets, especially those which smelled like one's favorite fabric conditioner, was calming and Jaemin was calming to be with. He always spoke gently, and he never got angry, and there was something about his presence that made people at ease.

Renjun on the other hand, was pillow whom Donghyuck could lean on to. Among all of Mark's metaphors, this was probably the most accurate one, at least according to his opinion. Renjun had been the person whom Donghyuck could rest his head on when he's already tired of dealing the with the changes that was happening in the dynamics of his and Mark's relationship, with the addition of Jaemin in the equation. (This was the reason why Mark felt like he was not in the position to confront Donghyuck about the insecurities he was feeling, because once, it was him who made Donghyuck felt the same. It was in the past, as Renjun, Jaemin and Donghyuck would insist, but still, Mark couldn't forget about it. He didn't regret dating Jaemin, but it he regretted hurting Donghyuck back then, even unintentionally.)

He really shouldn't be surprised that the two of them could bond together. After all, back then, they were the same— both their boyfriends were dating one another. Although Renjun wasn't as affected by it, as unlike Mark, Jaemin had already talked to him about it, and unlike Donghyuck, Renjun had next to zero issue to feel insecure about Mark's presence in his and Jaemin's relationship.

The two of them had spent a lot of times together, mostly Donghyuck letting out all of his emotions on Renjun. Only then could the former fall asleep peacefully, on Renjun's shoulder, after crying his heart out.

And then there was Jeno.

Mark scanned the room to find a specific thing that could represent him in Donghyuck's life. His eyes caught something, and Mark begrudgingly admitted what he had been refusing to admit to even to himself.

That Jeno was Donghyuck's night light.

That Jeno was now his night light, when it used to be Mark.

Donghyuck was afraid of the dark, so he couldn't survive without a night light, the same way that he couldn't survive without Mark… back then.

Looking at him peacefully sleeping in Jeno's arms only only intensified Mark's feelings that nope, Donghyuck didn't need him as much as he used to before, especially since he had Jeno.

Jeno who could come to him faster than Mark could.

Jeno who wouldn't make him feel insecure like Mark did in the past.

Jeno who was more that enough to fill the spaces Mark couldn't fill, and thus could take his place wholly.

Mark surely felt insecure at times, too, whenever Donghyuck would choose to depend on Renjun and Jaemin instead of him, but he was mostly affected when it was Jeno whom Donghyuck turned to for help.

Jaemin had initially suggested that it was because Jeno was new, and it was understandable to be wary and insecure of the new person entering their relationship. Mark wasn't sure if that was indeed the case.

Because if that was the case, then he should feel bad about Jaemin dating Jeno as well. But Mark didn't. When three months ago, both Jaemin and Renjun upgraded their relationship with Jeno, from roommates to boyfriends, Mark didn't feel hurt as much as he did when Donghyuck began dating Jeno.

Renjun suggested that it was just because Mark wasn't used to Donghyuck being in a relationship with another person. Jaemin wasn't counted since it was a Mark-Donghyuck-Jaemin relationship, meaning he was a part of it. With Jeno and Donghyuck, it was just between the two of them, and it was triggering Mark's possessive instincts, similar to how Donghyuck had been affected by the addition of Jaemin in their once duo relationship.

Maybe that was really the case, because Renjun was rarely wrong, anyway. The only problem was, Renjun had no solution to his problems.

This was wrong. Thinking about this, this way, was wrong, and Mark should know that. After all, he knew it in himself that his love for Donghyuck wouldn't diminish the love he had for Jaemin, and the same was applicable the other way around.

But Mark was insecure, and Mark was scared. After all, Donghyuck had almost permanently left him for another guy before, and somehow, he was afraid that Donghyuck might leave him for Jeno as well.

They had talked about it before, because they always talked about new changes so that they could avoid the same mistakes again. Donghyuck had reassured him countless of times that his love for Jeno wouldn't affect how much he loved Mark and Jaemin, eversince when Jeno was just joining their complex relationship, from the very first day when Donghyuck introduced him as his new boyfriend formally (because Mark had heard about him before based on Donghyuck's love struck stories about him. Quite frankly, Mark had hoped that they wouldn't develop into a real relationship, for his own selfish reasons).

But there were some feelings which couldn't be controlled by mere talking, and Mark's insecurities couldn't be contained easily by reassurance. It was something he needed control, himself.

Mark sighed before shaking his head.

He was a bad boyfriend. A bad boyfriend who was dwelling with his own insecurities while one of his boyfriends was sick.

Maybe this was what made Jeno a better boyfriend than him?

Speaking of Jeno, Mark hadn't been sure how long the former had been awake, and how long he had been staring at Mark with a mixture of confusion and uncertainty. Mark could feel himself heating up in embarrassment, after being caught in the middle of staring at two unsuspecting, sleeping pair.

Mark cleared his throat, and Jeno instantly disentangled himself from Donghyuck, much to the latter's displeasure.

Jeno got up from the bed, but he didn't come nearer to where Mark was. He just stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights.

It was awkward, but since when did interactions between them weren't awkward?

"I… he called me, " Jeno tried to explain. "I mean he asked for my help because you're not available. "

Jeno shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with his own choices of words. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I mean, he didn't want to disturb you from your game, so he called me instead. Sorry. He would have called you first if it's not for the circumstances."

It was becoming a habit — Jeno, and maybe the rest as well, acting like there's some sort of hierarchy when it came to Donghyuck. That Mark should always come first. Admittedly, by doing so, they wouldn't aggravated Mark's insecurities. Still, Mark knew that one day, it had to stop, or else, it wouldn't be healthy for all of them. After all, in a relationship like theirs, quantifying how much someone loved another more than the other, and limiting what the others could do in the relationship would only complicate things.

He might have stared blankly at the other for a while — Mark realized as Jeno scratched the back of his neck awkward.

"I can… I can leave now, if you want? "

Mark sighed.

If there was something difficult about doing wrong, whether intentional or not, it's realizing that the subject of your wrongdoings was a pure soul. Jeno's one of those pure soul, pure soul who just happened to fall in love with the same people that Mark loved. There was nothing wrong with it.

There was nothing wrong, yet Mark made him feel that he was doing something wrong by always being there for Donghyuck, like every boyfriend should be.

Jeno was a pure soul, a pure soul who's afraid of taking more than he should, and doing more than he's allowed to — doing more than Mark allowed him, too.

But Mark shouldn't restrict him. He didn't have the right to limit the ways he could show his love for Donghyuck, and Mark's emotions shouldn't be an acceptable reason to do so.

Mark should really get over his own issues quickly.

"It's fine, " Mark replied, and the wide eyes and instant double eyelids that formed on Jeno's eyes were enough indication for Mark that the other was surprised. Was he really that possessive about Donghyuck?

Maybe. After all, he was the reason why Jeno didn't live with them anymore. He didn't kick him out but Mark was sure that he was the reason for it. He was still guilty about it, and the only thing that's keeping him from wallowing in self blame was the fact that through that unfortunate event, Jeno gained two new boyfriends.

"Really, I'm not mad, " Mark explained. Just a little bit jealous, but that's not your fault. "Thank you for taking care of him. "

Seriously, why were they awkward? He didn't remember being this awkward with Renjun before.

Oh right. Because Mark panicked when he saw Donghyuck and Jeno kissing for the first time, that Mark ended up bawling his eyes out on the floor of their living room, with Donghyuck panicking with him, as he desperately tried to pacify Mark. It was all a mess until Jaemin and Renjun came and the latter told all of them bluntly to get their shits together.

What a mess.

That image might still be stuck on Jeno's brain, and it wouldn't go away easily.

"Oh, " Jeno nodded at him. "You're welcome, I guess. "

An awkward silence — very fitting for two awkward barely adults who were still on the process of grasping the reigns of a polyamorous relationship.

"Uh, Renjun and Jaemin? "

Jeno asked after a while, scratching the back of his neck, a habit he developed doing whenever he was feeling uncertain. Renjun had called him out on it a few weeks ago, telling him that he looked like a dog with fleas, which then lead to both Jaemin and Donghyuck developing a habit of petting Jeno's hair.

Thinking about it, Jeno really looked like a puppy, especially when he smiled, a samoyed according to Jaemin. Unfortunately, Mark had never been good with caring for puppies before, and Mark was quite sure that Jeno wouldn't appreciate ear scratches for him either.

"They left, " Mark replied. "To Starbucks, I guess. "

Jeno nodded again.

"I guess I should go after them. "

Mark shook his head. "I, I don't mind having you here. I mean it. I… I'm sorry. For reacting like that. You know? Back then? "

Jeno nodded. "I understand. I mean, you love him. You're just afraid. But, I will not take him away. I'm just… just letting you know that. "

Right.

Donghyuck wouldn't go away, just because he had Jeno. He would still be his boyfriend. His Donghyuck. The only difference was that Donghyuck had more people to love and more people to love him back.

"I'm not going to take away your place, " Jeno told him, smiling. "I don't think Donghyuck would allow me to do that either. You're special to him. "

"And you are, too, " Mark replied, with not a single pint bitterness. "I mean, we all have a place in his life so I don't have to worry. Sorry again. I guess I just overreacted. "

"I… it's fine, " Jeno said again. "I understand. But… I really want to go after with my other boyfriends? "

Mark chuckled, maybe the first positive reaction he had given to Jeno, not that he had always been reacting to him negatively. Just neutral. Passively.

Mark moved away from the door, allowing Jeno to have access to the exit. The latter nodded at him again, this time, more relaxed than before.

"Maybe we should grab a coffee one day?" Mark suggested, much to Jeno's surprise. "Just… bonding. My sort of apology for not being welcoming? "

Jeno tilted his head to the side, as if to think about it. He then nodded. "I would love that. "

Jeno smiled again before leaving, giving Mark hopes that it wasn't too late to make amends and make things better between the two of them, for all five of them.

~☆~

The good thing about lying next to to Donghyuck and admiring his beauty from up close was that Mark could be reminded of how lucky he was for having him as his boyfriend.

Of course, Mark wasn't only saying so because Donghyuck was beautiful. He was beautiful, there's no argument about that. He had the brightest smile that could rival the sun, and the most radiant golden skin that Mark had ever seen. Mark wasn't even sure how he manages to look at him and not be blinded by the light. And if that wasn't enough, he had the big dipper on his face that Mark found himself questioning, if Donghyuck was the sun, or if he was Mark's universe.

There. Donghyuck was beautiful, but he wasn't only beautiful. He was more than just a beautiful face and sexy body with plump hips that his fingers always itched to touch. He was more than that.

He was also one of the sweetest person Mark had ever met.

Maybe, not many would agree with him. If Mark would ask the people who knew the younger for description, they would say without hesitation that he's noisy, playful, and a little disrespectful at times. But those were the people who didn't have the opportunity to get to know Donghyuck deeper than the what he showed in the surface.

At some point, Mark admitted that he had thought the same. He had even begged his parents to let him go back to Canada, just so he could be far from the younger. But that was long ago. Like eleven years ago. Before the nine years of friendship, and the three years of dating (Mark refused to subtract those couple of months when he and Donghyuck and him broke up).

Sure, Donghyuck was still noisy, and playful, and borderline disrespectful at times, but Mark already learned to embrace those qualities as part of Donghyuck, appreciate them, and find them cute instead of annoying. Because Mark knew that Donghyuck wasn't just those three qualities. He was also sweet, kind and understanding.

Sure, Donghyuck would laugh at him as he stupidly trip on his own feet, but he would also immediately take out his first aid kit to patch him up.

Sure, Donghyuck would make fun of him for a simple mistake, but after that, Donghyuck would also teach him the proper way, all while telling him that 'hey, you sucked at times, but still, I love you, so don't you worry. '

Sure, Donghyuck refused to use honorifics with him, and he refused to call Mark 'hyung', but Mark never really cared about them in the first place. Besides, why would he ask for 'hyung' when babe and love were so much better ('Ya!' didn't sound so good, but Donghyuck only reserved that 'endearment' when he's extremely upset.)

Sure, Donghyuck could be rough with play fights at times, but he made up for it with the touch of his smooth skin and soft lips.

To sum it up, Donghyuck was one of the best people Mark ever meet.

The bad thing about lying next to Donghyuck and admiring his beauty, both inside and out, was that Mark would also be reminded of the reasons why he didn't deserve to date Donghyuck.

Because Mark had cheated on Donghyuck once.

Because Mark had made him feel unimportant once.

Because Mark had made him feel inadequate once.

Mark still couldn't believe how he was still dating Donghyuck after fucking up several time, or how Donghyuck managed to give him a chance over and over again.

It's not that he didn't want to be forgiven. Of course, Mark wanted to be forgiven, and be given another chance to prove Donghyuck how much he loved him. But wanting and being grateful for this, could never stop Mark from believing that he wasn't deserving, and because of that, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that Donghyuck would one day realize that giving him another chance was a mistake.

Especially since he had Jeno.

And Jaemin.

And Renjun, as a friend.

Mark wanted to show Donghyuck that he was deserving, but how could he do that, when there were three other people who could show him love?

Donghyuck turned around to face him, his arm immediately circling Mark under the sheets.

"Why do I feel like you're more sick than I am? "

Donghyuck asked without opening his eyes, his face automatically seeking the crook of Mark's neck for warmth. A few years ago, Mark would have whined that Donghyuck would get him sick as well.

But that was then.

This days, Mark thrived at every given opportunity where Donghyuck would willingly come to him for anything. It made him feel useful. It made him feel wanted. It made him feel needed.

Those feeling were the only emotions that could pacify his insecurities.

"How was your game? " Donghyuck asked. Mark took note of how scratchy his voice sounded as he spoke. Mentally, he berated himself for losing the chance to ask Donghyuck first how he was, when he knew that he was running a fever earlier.

Wow. That's how lousy he was as a boyfriend.

"We won, " he replied, causing Donghyuck to pull away just a little bit, just so he could look at Mark.

"I know you would. "

There was a proud smirk on Donghyuck's face and one could wonder if it was Mark or him who won in a basketball game. Donghyuck had always been like that, prouder than Mark for the latter's every achievement.

Again, how lucky could Mark be?

"Sorry I wasn't able to watch. "

There was a disappointed look on Donghyuck's face, and Mark immediately felt disappointed on himself for assuming the worst. Donghyuck loved him, despite his shortcomings in the past, and Mark shouldn't have doubted that just because Donghyuck failed to be on one of his games.

"It's fine, " Mark replied. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to tale care of you. "

Donghyuck scrunched up his nose. "It was just a fever. Don't worry about it. Besides, Jeno came to take care of me. And then Jaemin and Renjun did as well, after their commitments. "

There was a long pause between their conversation, and Donghyuck, sensing that there was something off, decided to ask again.

"Are you jealous, Mark? "

There was no hint of teasing on his voice. It was a serious question.

Contrary to what most people believed, Donghyuck could actually hold a serious conversation. Sure, he tried to be funny most of the times, but he's a really sensitive person who would take problems, especially the big ones, seriously.

"Honestly? " Mark asked, his voice giving away his insecurities. Donghyuck nodded. "A bit? "

Donghyuck squinted at him.

"Fine, I was. Happy? "

If this was something light and petty, then Donghyuck would probably laugh or roll his eyes. But it wasn't. It was something that they had been trying to deal with for quite some time.

It was something that Mark Lee had been burdening Donghyuck and the other three for quite some time.

"I just… you have a game, " Donghyuck began to reason. "I didn't want to disturb you, so I called Jeno instead. And the Renjun and Jaemin came later. I just didn't want to burden you, so I didn't inform you. You have a basketball game to focus on. "

You're not a burden, Mark wanted to argue, the same way that he corrected Renjun earlier. Helping Donghyuck always made him feel important. Taking care of him mad him feel useful. Wanted. Irreplaceable.

"I should have known you would react like that. Sorry… for being insensitive. "

Donghyuck's hand reached out to Mark's own, to play with his fingers. His skin still a tad warmer than normal, and Mark feared that he's aggravating the younger's fever by burdening him with his own insecurities.

Mark sighed. Why was he so useless?

"It's not that, " Mark replied, rubbing his thumb on the back of Donghyuck's hand. "You're everything but insensitive so don't say that. You're not, especially towards me."

Because Donghyuck always knew what Mark wanted and needed, even before Mark knew them himself. Except of course for that one time when Donghyuck thought that Mark would be better off without Donghyuck being his boyfriend. To be fair, Mark thought that they were better off as bestfriends as well, only to realize that that wasn't really what he needed. That was when these fears of losing the younger all began. That's when Mark began to forgot that the basic foundation of their relationship was trust, patience and understanding. That jealousy and possessiveness had no place in their relationship.

"Sorry, " Mark said, a little belatedly in his opinion, but then again he sucked at this. He's a little emotionally constipated, according to Jaemin. "I know I shouldn't be thinking this way but I couldn't help it. I just… what if you realize that all the things I can do for you, the other's can do, too. When that happens, then… why… why would you even keep me around? "

They had this talk before, several times, and quite frankly, Mark knew what Donghyuck was going to say to him. If this was any other topic, then Donghyuck would probably roll his eyes and say "here we go again. "

But this wasn't. This had too many emotions involved, and Donghyuck would never ever make Mark feel that he's shallow for wanting to hear the same words over and over again.

"Even if you do nothing, I will always want you here with me. "

It was cheesy — a profession of unconditional love — so unconditional that even if Mark became useless, Donghyuck would never ever not love him.

Mark didn't consider himself a cheesy person, until he realized his need for reassurance that he was loved — that he was still loved.

"I love you, Mark. Always. "

Whoever thought that abra kadabra or open sesame was the most magical words were absolutely wrong. Nothing could beat those three words, especially in chasing away the demons that were haunting one's mind.

It was the magic word, and Mark felt okay again.

"Thank you. I love you, too. "

Donghyuck finally smiled, maybe because Mark finally did as well. Because that's how things should be.

To smile when your loved ones smile.

To be happy when they're happy.

Donghyuck was happy when Mark was happy, and Mark should be the same, right?

"Jeno really makes you happy, right? " Mark asked, causing Donghyuck to look up to him nervously. "He does, right? "

Donghyuck nodded, a little cautious about how Mark would react. But lies never had a place in their relationship, because the truth is the foundation of trust. "He makes me happy. In different ways that Jaemin makes me happy. In different ways that you make me happy. Different, but not superior. Not superior, but not inferior either. "

Mark nodded. He understood. That's exactly how he felt when he began dating Jaemin. Donghyuck had been willing to understand. To compromise. So why couldn't Mark do the same?

"Okay, " he said. Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows.

"Okay? "

Mark nodded. "Okay, meaning, I'm okay with him. He's actually, nice, I think. And he makes you happy. I want you to be happy. "

Donghyuck smiled again. "Thank you. I promise, I will never make you feel that I'm forgetting about you just because I have him. "

"I love you. "

"I love you, too. Now hug me, you big teddy bear! "

Mark chuckled at that, but ne complied nonetheless, pulling the younger closer, and letting him lie on his chest. He was still a little bit warm, and Mark wrote mental note to feed him medicine later on.

"Since when am I your teddy bear? " he asked.

"Since forever, " Donghyuck replied. "My old teddy bear. "

"I'm not that old, " Mark whined. "I'm just a year older than you. "

"I don't mean it like that, " Donghyuck said with a giggle. "I mean, my childhood teddy bear. Want to know why?"

"Why? " he asked.

"Because childhood teddy bears are special. You can outgrow your other toys and forget about them and then give them away, but not the childhood teddy bear you cuddle with every night. Not the teddy bear you silently whispered secrets and worries with. You can never let go of that teddy bear because that's your best friend. Sure, you could have more teddy bears in the future, but they could never ever replace that one special teddy bear. And to me, that's you. You're that teddy bear, and you will never ever find yourself in the trash or in a second hand store, sold for less than a dollar. You're definitely worth more than that. "

So he was a teddy bear. Mark nodded in satisfaction. He liked that.

"If you're smiling like an idiot right now, I swear, " Donghyuck warned without looking up to him, most probably to hide his own blush.

"Promise me that you wouldn't throw away this teddy bear even if he gets to old and work out? "

Donghyuck chuckled. "I promise. "

~☆~

Sometime between feeling giddy at his new title as Donghyuck's teddy bear and listening to Donghyuck's breathing, Mark managed to fall asleep.

Donghyuck hadn't been beside him when he woke up, but he didn't panic, because Donghyuck had already promised him that he wouldn't discard his old teddy bear behind.

Smiling, Mark stood up from the bed and went straight to the the living room where the rest was staying.

He found Donghyuck there, sitting on the sofa, next to Jeno as the former lay his head on the latter's shoulder. Jaemin, too was beside Jeno,and on a mirroring position as Donghyuck. Jeno and Jaemin's eyes were both focused on whatever it was that was playing on the television. Donghyuck was dozing off, and the only reason why he wasn't falling off the sofa was Jeno's arms wrapped against his waist protectively.

Mark wordlessly sat next to Renjun on one of the chairs by the dining table.

Renjun gave him a look, the one which was warning him to not over react. It wasn't like Mark was planning to either.

From their place, Mark could see Jeno and Jaemin looking at Mark cautiously.

Mark could see Jeno slowly peeling Donghyuck's sleeping form off of him, and silently offering Mark's his seat. Mark raised his hand and shook his head, much to Jeno's, and maybe as well as the other two's, confusion.

It's fine, Mark mouthed at him.

Jeno let go of the breath he was holding, and he relaxed back on the sofa. Beside him, Jaemin gave Mark a thumbs up, acknowledging his improvement.

"Who are you, and what did you do to Mark Lee? " Renjun asked in hushed voice.

Mark shrugged. "I am Mark Lee, but I just turned into a teddy bear. "

Renjun looked at him like he had grown two heads, before shaking his head.

"You humans are weird. "

**Author's Note:**

> I spent a week of my quarantine writing this, I hope you like it.
> 
> There are so much back stories in it that I couldn't squeeze here, so the probability of me,going back to this and turning this in a series of one shot is high, although the probability of that coming so soon is really low. 
> 
> Kudos and hits are fine, but if you like it, comments are highly appreciated, especially during this time of quarantine when I'm almost always just talking about myself.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!
> 
> Stay safe!!!


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